


BiBi D&D

by Zinthezinner



Series: Love Live! Adventuring Idol Festival! [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, DM!Nozomi, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Elf Fighter!Maki, Gen, Gnome Rogue!Nico, Human Wizard!Eli
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25131397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinthezinner/pseuds/Zinthezinner
Summary: BiBi plays Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) with Nozomi as their dungeon master! What could possibly go wrong?Nozomi - your DM, your best friend, your spiritual power sourceEli - Tamara Kolpakova, human wizardNico - Lysorill Beren, forest gnome rogueMaki - Eira Meliamne, high elf fighter
Series: Love Live! Adventuring Idol Festival! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820443
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	BiBi D&D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party get together and complete their first quest!
> 
> CONTENT WARNING: there's a giant spider in this one!

_ “Nozomi, what’s this?” _ _  
_ _ “That’s your character sheet! It has what you need to play as your character.” _ _  
_ _ “I know what a character sheet is.” _ _  
_ _ “I thought you were coming in blind?” _ _  
_ _ “What do you mean you ‘thought she was coming in blind’, Nozomi? You worked with me for all of my character.” _ _  
_ _ “She what?” _ _  
_ _ “I figured I’d give Maki-chan and Nico-chi a break, so I only worked with them for their backstories and assigned class stuff on my own time. You and I had more time together in general, so that’s why I went over all the boring class stuff with you! Elegant, no?” _ _  
_ _ “I suppose that makes sense.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi smiles at BiBi. Nico picks up her character sheet and starts reading through it. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Hold up.” _ _  
_ _ “Hmmmm~? What’s the matter, Nico-chi?” _ _  
_ _ “WHY am I a ROGUE?!?” _ _  
_ _ “Because I thought that would be best for Lysorill!” _ _  
_ _ “She could’ve been a bard-” _ _  
_ _ “- Too easy-” _ _  
_ _ “- a wizard-” _ _  
_ _ “- Eli-chi’s got that one-” _ _  
_ _ “- or a-” _ _  
_ _ “Wait a second! Nozomi, do we not have a cleric?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico glares at Maki for interrupting, finding her glaring at Nozomi for the class choices. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Do ya need one?” _ _  
_ _ “Yes.” _ _  
_ _ “How do you know?” _ _  
_ _ “Because I… because I did some reading after we worked on the backstory. Papa bought me the books, so I just did some research. It’s not a big deal!” _ _  
_ _ “So studious~ But I’m a firm believer in playing what’s fun over what’s recommended. You don’t need clerics, pallies, or even druids to have a good time! You can just work your way around with the strengths you do have. Don’t worry, I’ll set it up so you don’t need someone in one of those roles… unless you want to switch..?” _ _  
_ _ “No! I mean. No. I’m fine with what you gave me.” _ _  
_ _ “Then does Nico-chi want to switch to one of those?” _ _  
_ _ “If I switch to cleric or paladin I’ll have to deal with Nozomi’s bullshit religion rules, and if I switch to druid you’ll call me a furry, so no.” _ _  
_ _ “Eli-chi..?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli sighs. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “How long would it take for me to switch to a cleric?” _ _  
_ _ “You remember how much time we spent on Tamara, right?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Yeah. Yeah she does. Her backstory ties with her class far too much to disentangle her from it easily. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “You did say we wouldn’t need one, right? I’m inclined to believe you, if only to save time.” _ _  
_ _ “Aye, I did say that.” _ _  
_ _ “But!” _ _  
_ _ “Nico-chan, do you really want to wait even longer to start?” _ _  
_ _ “Well!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico pouts and looks away. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “... No. Whatever, let’s just get this going.” _ _  
_ _ “Great! Go ahead and read through your revised backstories and have a quick check through your stats and equipment.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ BiBi does so with little else to add, and when they are done they nod. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Very well. _ Tamara, you have just come back disappointed from a meeting with a certain important person. Lysorill, you’ve done the same with a guild head, that of the city’s Thieves’ Guild. The place you’ve picked, The Tame Ice Tavern, is packed, meaning the two of you are sitting together in a booth by necessity with one spare seat! It’s dinnertime, and the music is loud, made louder by the commonfolks singing along to their favourite tunes. Eira, you have just reached the city and were directed to this tavern by a stranger for you to stay the night. What do you do?”   
_ “Nozomi, have we got our food?” _ _  
_ _ “Not yet, the place is chock-a-block full! You haven’t even seen a waiter yet.” _ _  
_ _ “So Eira’s outside?” _ _  
_ _ “If ya want, or she can have entered already and spotted the other two.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki thinks for a moment before continuing. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Eira strides into the tavern and looks around. What does she see?”   
“She sees tables and tables of humanoids of all sorts eating their dinners, chatting, and singing along with the live music. Nobody looks particularly threatening or out-of-place except for a human in wizard robes and a gnome in…  _ actually Nico-chi, what’s Lysorill wearing?” _ _  
_ _ “Says here she’s got leather armour, so.” _ _  
_ _ “Is she wearing it?” _ _  
_ _ “... I don’t like your tone.” _ _  
_ _ “What tone? I’m just askin’!” _ _  
_ _ “I don’t trust you. Yes she’s wearing the armour.” _ _  
_ “A gnome in leather armour, who are sitting together at a booth. The bartender and servers seem busy right now.”   
“They look like adventurers, so I guess Eira approaches. She’s in a set of chainmail, and Nozomi said we pretty much look like ourselves but the races we picked, so she looks like me but light pink and with long ears.”   
  
_ Nico stops her. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Hold on, why pink? I don’t remember seeing that in the handbook!” _ _  
_ _ “I was looking at pictures of elves and I saw one that was pink, okay? Nozomi said it was fine.” _ _  
_ _ “Pink hair I get, but pink skin? Where from?” _ _  
_ _ “Nico, calm down please. She’s allowed to have pink skin if she wants it.” _ _  
_ _ “She got it from World of Warcraft~” Nozomi said with a grin. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki’s eyes widen. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “She showed me the images and I reverse searched them to be sure~” _ _  
_ _ “Did not!” _ _  
_ _ “Did so~ Not that it matters. I think WoW nelves are neat! I love their huge ears and eyebrows.” _ _  
_ _ “‘Nelves’?” _ _  
_ _ “Night elves.” _ _  
_ _ “Can we move on? Eira was approaching us, right?” _ _  
_ _ “Correct!” _ _  
_ “‘Hello, did you need something? You don’t look like waitstaff.’”   
_ “Great character voice, Eli-chi! I expect the rest of you to do one too!” _ _  
_ _ “Eh? B-but! That’s embarrassing!” _ _  
_ _ “Get used to it kiddo. I’ll show you how a real pro does it once you’ve said your piece.” _ _  
_ “‘I wanted a seat, and you guys seem to have a spot open. Is it alright if I join you for this meal?’”   
  
_ Nico laughs loudly. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Seriously? That’s your character voice?” _ _  
_ _ “Nico, be nice.” _ _  
_ _ “Fine. Do I roll something to see if she’s lying?” _ _  
_ _ “I’m not lying!” _ _  
_ _ “Lysorill doesn’t know that.” _ _  
_ _ “Roll for it, Nico-chi!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico looks through her sparkly pink dice. Nozomi senses that she’s struggling to choose the right one and picks up one of her own from behind the screen to show her. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “It’s this one.” _ _  
_ _ “I knew that! I was just trying to find it.” _ _  
_ _ “Sure, sure~” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico rolls it. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ It’s a 10. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “10. What do I add to it?” _ _  
_ _ “That’d be insight, which you’re proficient in, so that’s + your WIS and + another 2!” _ _  
_ _ “... 12.” _ _  
_ _ “Maki-chan, care to contest? Persuasion if you do!” _ _  
_ _ “Alright.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki finds the d20 from her set of red swirled dice and rolls it. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ It’s a 2. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Oh dear.” remarks Eli. _ _  
_ _ “Plus 3!” _ _  
_ _ “Making it what?” _ _  
_ _ “... 5.” _ _  
_ _ “HA! Spill!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki looks away and twirls her hair. She lookes back at the table. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Eira is looking for more than just a seat. She’s looking discretely at how the both of you are dressed.  _ Happy?” _ _  
_ “Lysorill notes that mentally. ‘Mhm! I’m fine with you joining! What of you?’”   
“‘It’s fine by me.’”   
“Eira nods and takes the available seat.”   
“Great! A halfling server comes to your table. ‘Hello, I’ll be serving you tonight. Apologies for the wait! What would you like?’”   
_ “What’s on the menu, Nozomi?” _ _  
_ “Looking over the menu, it’s pretty basic stuff. They’ve got lamb, mashed potato, salads, sausages, that sort of thing. For drink they have ale, cheap wine, milk, and apple juice.”   
“Lysorill orders wine.”   
“She’s not old enough.”   
  
_ Nico pouts. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Can she order it anyway?” _ _  
_ _ “Fufu, can she~? Roll deception for me!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico rolls a 5. _ _  
_ _  
"What do I add? I don't have deception marked."  
"CHA!"  
_ _ “... Does a 6 do it?” _ _  
_ _ “Nope!  _ ‘Sorry little lady, you don’t look old enough for wine to me! If you’ve got some sort of ID maybe, but I don’t think you do.’” _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico starts scheming. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘Whatever. Milk please, and I’ll have the lamb and mash.’”   
“Eira orders the same.”   
“Tamara orders the same as well.”   
_ “‘Cos I’m feelin’ nice, I’m not going to start taking from your party funds for this one, and we’ll just assume it’s pre-adventure.  _ The server calculates the cost of the meals and you all pay them. ‘I’ll be back with your food when it’s ready!’”   
“‘Thanks!’”   
“‘Thank you.’” _ from both Maki and Eli. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ The two look at each other for a second, and Eli smiles. Nico interrupts. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘So what’s your deal?’”   
“‘Eh?’”   
“‘Who are you?’”   
“‘I’m Eira Meliamne, she/her. I’m looking for a place to eat and stay the night. Is that a crime?’”   
“You city watch? Kinda weird to be walking around in chainmail.”   
“Kinda weird to be walking around in leather, too. People might start thinking things.”   
  
_ Nozomi stifles a giggle. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “She didn’t mean it like that, Nozomi.” _ _  
_ _ “I know, I know!” _ _  
_ _ “Mean it like what?” _ _  
_ _ “Oh honey. Oh honey.” _ _  
_ _ “C’mon guys, just tell me.” _ _  
_ _ “Tell her and I fucking slit your throat, Nozomi.” _ _  
_ _ “Don’t worry, I wasn’t gonna~” _ _  
_ _ “Good.” from both Nico and Eli. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki huffs. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I don’t get it! Fine. Are you going to react, or what?” _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘Can’t a girl have a little protection in a big city? Chainmail is overkill!’”   
“‘Not where I’m going.’”   
“‘Why, where are you headed?’” from Tamara.   
“‘I… I don’t know. I just have to do some adventuring work, and I figure the city’s a pretty good place to start.’”   
“Lysorill’s eyes light up at the mention of adventuring work.”   
“As do Tamara’s.”   
“‘Why are you two looking at me funny? Is it that weird?’”   
“‘ No no, not that odd. Do you have companions?’” from Tamara again.   
“‘No, I’m alone so far. I can handle myself, though.’”   
“Are you looking for a companion then?’”   
“‘... I guess.’”   
  
_ Nico and Eli both lean forwards at the table, imitating what their characters are doing. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘What a coincidence!’ Lysorill says.”   
“‘Coincidence indeed.’”   
  
_ “Eli, had Lysorill talked to your character before Maki came in?” _ _  
_ _ “I was assuming you’d just sat down yourself, but if you want to have then we can have?” _ _  
_ _ “That’s fine by me. What did you two say to each other?” _ _  
_ _ “Tamara probably told her that she’s looking for someone dangerous and could use a hand.” _ _  
_ _ “In that case, Lysorill offered herself as a merc if there’s treasure involved.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli puts a hand to her mouth in thought. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I think that’s about where we were when Maki came in then.” _ _  
_ “‘Coincidence? Are you two looking for a third?’”   
“‘Yep!’”   
“‘We were just discussing joining each other when you showed up, we hadn’t met before. So we’re not a pair exactly, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having muscle like you…’”   
  
_ Maki seems affronted. _ _  
_   
_ “Hey! I’m not just muscle!” _ _  
_ _ “Was that in character?” _ _  
_ _ “Did I use the voice? No. I’m offended on her behalf.” _ _  
_ _ “Kinnie.” _ _  
_ _ “WHAT?” _ _  
_ _ “You heard me.” _ _  
_ _ “Nico, I know that I have a limited understanding of ‘kinning’, but I do not think it counts when it’s your own character.” _ _  
_ _ “Oh but it does, Eli-chi~” _ _  
_ _ “It does?” _ _  
_ _ “It does NOT. Don’t listen to her, Eli. They just want to call me a kinnie wherever possible.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico and Nozomi raise their eyebrows. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘I’m more than muscle, but I’m going to take that as a compliment for your sake. I’m looking to prove myself an asset to the people.’”   
“‘“The people”? Who do you think you are?’”   
“'My parents hold the rank of baron.’” _  
_ “‘Ah.’” Lysorill says, nigh-undetectable venom in her voice. “She thinks less of her for it.”   
“‘That’s nice. Are you willing to journey with us for a time then? To build reputation?’”   
“‘... Mayhaps.’”   
  
_ Nozomi rolls some dice behind the screen, which is unnoticed by her players. _ _  
_   
“‘C’mon, come adventuring!’”   
“‘Adventuring, you say?’ asks the waiter, who has snuck up on you.”   
  
_ The players jump, which Nozomi interprets as their characters being caught off-guard. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘Apologies for the scare, dears. I bring food and drink!’ they say, putting your orders on the table. ‘I happen to know someone who could use a hand, if you’re willing?’”   
“‘Oh? What’s up?’”   
“‘You’re going to have to talk with the owner in private after you’ve finished your meals, but she does have a job for you if you’ll take it.’”   
  
_ BiBi looks at each other, nodding in agreement. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘We’ll take it.’” from all of them at once.   
“‘Excellent! Enjoy your meals~’ they say, and they walk off.”   
  
_ “We should eat up and check in then, no?” _ _  
_ _ “Sounds good to me.” _ _  
_ _ “I didn’t really have anything else to say, so sure.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘You finish your meals and go to the bar. You have the barkeep’s attention, and they finish wiping a glass to face you. ‘Yes? What can I do ye fer?’”   
“‘Where’s the owner? We were told she needed help.’”   
“‘What kinda help are ye offerin’?’”   
“‘We’re an adventuring party, and we’re not quite sure what she wants…’”   
“‘Ah, I see what she’ll be wanting ye fer. One sec, I’ll go call ‘er.’ they say, and they head behind a door. Almost a minute passes, and a tabaxi woman emerges with the barkeep. She looks pretty average, if a little frazzled.”   
_ “What the fuck is a tabaxi?” _ _  
_ _ “Catgirl. Like the khajiit in the elder scrolls?” _ _  
_ _ “I’m too cool to know about that, furry.” _ _  
_ _ “Anyway. Does she say anything, Nozomi?” _ _  
_ “With a deep voice, she says ‘Hi. You’re here to help, I understand?’”   
_ “That wasn’t a very deep voice.” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah, what gives?” _ _  
_ _ “Hey, I’m trying! You’ve gotta give it a little ~imagination~!” _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘Yes, we’re here to help. You wish to speak privately?’” Tamara asks.   
“‘Yep. Come with me.’ and she gestures for you to follow her to a back room…”   
  
_ The party nod, indicating that they’re following. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Once you get there, the owner asks ‘How good are you with spiders?’”   
  
_ “No.” _ _  
_ _ “No?” _ _  
_ _ “I agree with Nico-chan, spiders are creepy…” _ _  
_ _ “You get to kill it, it’s not like I’m asking you to keep it as a pet! You didn’t bring it up when I asked what we should avoid earlier, so I figured it’d probably be fine.” _ _  
_ _ “Nozomi, how many of them are there? Are we going to have to fight them regularly? If these two are this grossed out, you shouldn’t make it a regular thing.” _ _  
_ _ “Just the one. If they really don’t want to, I can… swap it out for something…” _ _  
_ _ “I don’t trust that.” _ _  
_ _ “Me neither.” _ _  
_ _ “I hate to admit it, but that does sound rather suspect… Nozomi, you wouldn’t swap it for something worse, would you?” _ _  
_ _ “‘Course not! You guys couldn’t handle worse, not noobs at level 1. Just different, that’s all.” _ _  
_ _ “I still don’t buy it. We’ll take the spider, right Maki?” _ _  
_ _ “Agreed.” _ _  
_ _ “I’m a little hurt that you don’t trust me, but alright!” _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘That depends on what we have to do with them.’” from Eira.   
“‘Kill it, just the one.’”   
“‘You want us to kill one spider?’”   
“‘It’s a big ‘un.’”   
  
_ Nico visibly cringes, but she can handle it. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘How big is big?’”   
“‘Almost the size of a carriage, and it’s set up a web in the alley behind us.’”   
“‘You haven’t called the guards in?’” from Tamara.   
“‘We don’t like the watch ‘round these parts, and we won’t involve ‘em if we can handle it ourselves.’”   
  
_ “She can’t handle it herself though, she’s asking us to do it.” _ _  
_ _ “If we can handle it, she’s handling it by proxy.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘I see. Is this normal then? Do you get parties like us in regularly?’”   
“‘How long does something have to last before it’s normal? We’ve been getting big stuff for about a week and a half now. Mostly pigeons, some rats, a stray cat. No horses yet, but god that’d be a disaster. Sometimes they go back to a normal size after a while, but the spider in our alley has been here all day. Possibly last night too, judging by the web.’”   
  
_ Nozomi rests her hand on her chin as she says this. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘Do you have any idea what might be causing this?’”   
“‘Not in the slightest. Do you?’”   
  
_ “Do we?” _ _  
_ _ “Eli-chi, you can make an INT check here if you’d like.” _ _  
_ _ “I think I will, thank you.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli rolls her plain white dice, and… 15! Plus her INT makes 18. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Does an 18 do it?” _ _  
_ _ “Fufu~ Clever girl Tamara! Yep, that does it! I would’ve let you make another roll after you’d dealt with the spider, but since you succeeded here you don’t have to!” _ _  
_ _ “So what does she know then?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi pulls Eli away from the table to whisper to her. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Tamara, you have the sneaking suspicion that one of your roommates in the dorm at uni is behind this. Telgrea, a dragonborn transmutation wizard, had been expressing trouble with his spells. He’d been at the school longer than you, and he didn’t seem like he was dropping out any time soon. You weren’t close close,  _ otherwise I wouldn’t’ve made you roll, _ but did you want to be?”   
“I think Tamara sensed a kinship with him but was too frustrated to pursue a friendship properly. They probably spoke a few times, but not enough to be friends.”   
_ “I see, I see. _ Either way, you know he was having trouble when last you saw him.”   
  
_ “Right…” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ The two go back to their seats at the table, and Eli makes some notes. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Oi, Eli. You gonna let the rest of us in on that?” _ _  
_ _ “I think I’ll hold onto it until after we deal with the spider.” _ _  
_ _ “Eh? Why?” _ _  
_ _ “I have my reasons.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico huffs. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘No, I’m afraid I haven’t the faintest.’” from Eira.   
“‘Me neither!’”   
“‘Mm, I’ve no clue.’”   
_ “Liar.” _ _  
_ “‘How much do we get for taking care of this for you?’”   
“‘Five gold each and a place to stay for 3 days, should you choose to remain here. At 8 silver a day for the 3 of you, that’s another 7g 2s you’re getting, should you choose to stay here that long.’”   
_ “Five gold? That doesn’t sound like much!” _ _  
_ _ “It’s technically 15 between the 3 of you, and since a lot of stuff is copper and silver, 5 is plenty!” _ _  
_ _ “... Alright.” _ _  
_ “Tamara looks to her companions. ‘Will we be staying here that long, or do you want to negotiate for more cash and seek work elsewhere?’”   
“‘I see no hurry, so it’s probably fine if we take it as it is.’”   
“‘Sounds good to me!’”   
“‘Alright.’”   
“‘Shall we shake on it then? Afterwards I’ll leave you to your work.’ the tavern owner asks, offering her hand.”   
“We put our hands out to shake hers.”   
“She shakes them individually and points you to the alleyway.”   
  
_ Eli looks to Maki and Nico, hesitating a moment. Maki is straightening her dice, and Nico is eating chips. _ _  
_   
“We head to the alleyway. What do we see?”   
“You see a large spider, larger than even yourselves, suspended in an irregular web a few feet off the ground. It has some lively prey trapped in its web right now, a small flappy thing that you assume is a pigeon. It notices you, though, and turns away from the struggling creature to face you. What do you do?”   
_ “We attack.” _ _  
_ _ “Great! Roll initiative, 1d20 plus DEX!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ BiBi start rolling their dice. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “What’d you guys get?” _ _  
_ _ “Eira got a 20.” _ _  
_ _ “Natural?” _ _  
_ _ “She rolled a 19 and had a +1.” _ _  
_ _ “Ahhh, a dirty 20. What’d Tamara get, Eli-chi?” _ _  
_ _ “An 8, I’m afraid.” _ _  
_ _ “That’s alright, it’s just initiative. Nico-chi?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico seems frustrated. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Nico?” _ _  
_ _ “Lysorill rolled a 4.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi grins. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Doesn’t she have a +3 in DEX?” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah, and?” _ _  
_ _ “That means you rolled a nat 1, doesn’t it~?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico grumbles. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “You told Eli is was ‘just initiative’ when she rolled an 8, why’s mine different? Is there some sort of rule about rolling 1s?” _ _  
_ _ “Not always, not always! Certainly not for initiative, at least. Be mindful rolling them in future though, I have DM’s discretion on crit fail consequences.” _ _  
_ _ “So rolling a 1 means we fail catastrophically if it’s not an initiative roll?” _ _  
_ _ “I’ve been playing some other games recently and I think it’s more fun if we don’t limit it like that. You might succeed, but with horrible consequences for doing so. Depends what the situation calls for! It might indeed just be funnier to watch you flat-out fail and break things.” _ _  
_ _ “Great.” _ _  
_ _ “The spider rolled a 12, by the way. The order is Eira, the spider, Tamara, Lysorill.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ BiBi nods. Nozomi hangs some papers with the combatants’ names on them over her DM’s screen in order. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “What should I do, guys? I’m first.” _ _  
_ _ “If you get within range of the spider, I’m pretty sure I get a bonus to my attacks.” _ _  
_ _ “Hmmm… Eli, will you be alright if I leave to cover Nico-chan?” _ _  
_ _ “I suppose, as long as you can hold its attention. As I understand it, I have very little health.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki twirls her hair. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I’ll be fine, really. The sooner we kill it, the less damage it will do.” _ _  
_ _ “Fine.  _ Eira runs up to the spider and hits it with her war pick.”   
_ “Roll for me, Maki-chan!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki rolls a 19. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Nineteen, plus…” _ _  
_ _ “As long as it’s not a minus, odds are that hits! Roll damage for me please.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Maki rolls damage, 1d8. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “A four.” _ _  
_ _ “Plus?” _ _  
_ _ “Oh, do I add a modifier?” _ _  
_ _ “Mhm! Not proficiency this time, but you do add your STR to this one!” _ _  
_ _ “So… 6 damage?” _ _  
_ _ “Alright!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi notes it down. Maki mentally kicks herself for not remembering that. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Spider’s turn!  _ The massive creature makes a bite attack on Eira, and it…”   
  
_ Nozomi rolls some dice behind the screen. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “ _ Misses!  _ Unless somehow an 8 hits the big strong fighter?” _ _  
_ _ “It doesn’t.” _ _  
_ _ “ _ It bites onto the armour Eira is wearing, completely avoiding doing damage.  _ It’s Tamara’s turn now! What does she do?” _ _  
_ _ “I don’t imagine getting close with my quarterstaff will be useful, so I’m going to cast something. I have narrowed it down while Maki was talking, and I either use my ‘cantrips’ or my higher-level spells. ‘Cantrips’ are free, but they do less damage… I suppose it is a matter of how much more we’ll do before I can recover my ‘spell slots’?” _ _  
_ _ “Nozomi, how dark is it?” _ _  
_ “It’s late evening, but the streetlights provide some light even in the alleyway.” _  
_ _ “We’ll probably sleep soon anyway, why does it matter? Fuck it, use the spell.” _ _  
_ _ “Alright.  _ Tamara casts Witch Bolt,  _ which has a 30-foot range, requires Verbal, Somatic, and Material components, must be concentrated on for a maximum of 1 minute, and for which I must make a ranged spell attack.” _ _  
_ _ “Roll then!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli rolls a natural 20 and raises a hand to her chest with a gasp. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Ya seem a lil excited there, Eli-chi! What did you roll?” _ _  
_ _ “I rolled a 20! That’s good, right?” _ _  
_ _ “It is!” _ _  
_ _ “You’ve gotta be fucking joking. I roll a 1 and you two immediately show me up with a 19 and a 20?” _ _  
_ _ “Nico, that is how random chance works.” _ _  
_ _ “Nico-chan, you should be glad she rolled a 20! It means she gets more damage in, which means you aren’t in as much danger for as long.” _ _  
_ _ “...” _ _  
_ _ “Nozomi, how much damage do I do?” _ _  
_ _ “What’re the damage dice for witch bolt?” _ _  
_ _ “1d12.” _ _  
_ _ “2d12 then!” _ _  
_ _ “TWO-” _ _  
_ _ “Mhm!” _ _  
_ _ “She gets TWO D12? even half the max damage is more than my hp!” _ _  
_ _ “That’s a crit on a spell for ya!” _ _  
_ _ “Nozomi, I have a question.” _ _  
_ _ “Yes dear?” _ _  
_ _ “The spell says I can use my action on my next turns to deal damage again without casting it again if I concentrate. Does the crit apply to those too?” _ _  
_ _ “WHAT?” _ _  
_ _ “Hmmm… I don’t know! Lemme look up the wording~” _ _  
_ _ “I’ll look it up too.” _ _  
_ _ “Thank you Maki.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi and Maki flip through their books to find the relevant pages. Eli takes a sip of water. Nico calculates. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Hmmm… I think it might?” _ _  
_ _ “Actually, it says you do the damage ‘automatically’. I think if you do it automatically, you’re not rolling, so you can’t crit on those too?” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah, but I think the attack roll counts for the whole spell. You’re not making a new spell just to do the same damage, so I don’t see the harm?” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah, Maki. I don’t see the harm.” Nico says, sugar-sweet smile on her face. _ _  
_ _ “You’re just saying that so we don’t get weakened.” _ _  
_ _ “Am not! And if I were, what’s the big deal? Don’t you want us more powerful?” _ _  
_ _ “If we can do it, enemies can do it too.” _ _  
_ _ “How many enemies are we going to run into who do spells like that?” _ _  
_ _ “I dunno, how many am I going to throw at you?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico cringes at Nozomi’s interjection. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Nico, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Can I roll damage now?” _ _  
_ _ “Go for it.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli rolls a 5, and then a 7. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “12 damage?” _ _  
_ _ “Noted! You don’t kill it.” _ _  
_ _ “How much health does this stupid spider even have?” _ _  
_ _ “To be fair, it is bigger than you, and you outnumber it 3 to 1. Lysorill’s turn!” _ _  
_ “Lysorill runs to the spider and slashes at it with a shortsword!”   
  
_ Nico rolls a 17, which plus her DEX and proficiency is a 22. Nico grins a smug grin. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Does a 22 hit?” _ _  
_ _ “Yep! Something tells me that wasn’t a crit, though~” _ _  
_ _ “W-well! It’s still above a 20! I hit it, what next? Do I get my sneak attack?” _ _  
_ _ “What do you need for it again?” _ _  
_ _ “Either advantage, or a non-incapacitated enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it and I don’t have disadvantage on the attack. That’s what it says in the book. Maki’s right there too, right?” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah, I’m here.” _ _  
_ _ “And she’s not incapacitated, right?” _ _  
_ _ “She is not.” _ _  
_ _ “And I don’t have disadvantage, do I?” _ _  
_ _ “Sure don’t!” _ _  
_ _ “So I get it?” _ _  
_ _ “Yup! Roll that… what is it?” _ _  
_ _ “Extra d6!” _ _  
_ _ “Roll it for me with your normal damage please!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico borrows one of Eli’s dice so that she can roll both at the same time. She rolls a 4 and a 5. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I deal 9 damage!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi claps her hands together. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “How do you want to do this?” _ _  
_ _ “You mean I get the first kill?!?” _ _  
_ _ “Yeah! You did it!” _ _  
_ “Lysorill severs the spindly creature’s head in one swift chop!”  _ Nico narrates, making a chopping motion in the air above her head with her arm as she does so. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nozomi leans over the DM screen and high-fives the spider-murderer. They both seem pleased! _ _  
_ _  
_ “Lysorill picks up the severed head.”   
“‘What are you doing?’”   
“‘Gotta show the lady proof, right?’”   
“‘I think she can come outside and see for herself.’”   
“Lysorill puts the head down.”   
“Tamara investigates the bird. Is it alive?”   
“It is! It seems that you got here before the spider had a chance to finish it off. It is still in the web, however, and still struggling.”   
“I free it.”   
_ “Make an animal handling check?” _ _  
_ _ “I don’t seem to have animal handling.” _ _  
_ _ “That’s alright, just roll the core stat it’s based on, which is… WIS, if I’m remembering correctly?” _ _  
_ _ “Yes, WIS is next to it.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli rolls a 2, which plus 2 is 4. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “... Four?” _ _  
_ _ “Ouch.” from both Maki and Nico. _ _  
_ “The pigeon flaps wildly and pecks at your hands while you work, but you manage it. No points of damage. It starts hopping away, fluffing out its wings. It’s out of sight pretty quickly.  _ Shame really, that could’ve been cute!” _   
_ “‘Cute’.” _ _  
_ “The tavern owner opens the door for you, inviting you all back inside.”   
  
_ The table nods, indicating that they follow her. _ _  
_ _  
_ “‘You three did well. Not even a scratch on you, it seems. Here’s your pay.’ she says, handing each of you 5 gold pieces. ‘I’ve also got a room key here for you, you’re free to use it for 3 days.’”   
“Eira takes the key.”   
“‘Thank you… er, what is your name? I don’t think we caught it earlier, sorry…’”   
“‘Sorry about that. Little oversight. Name’s Shanelle, pronouns’re she/her. And you are?’”   
“‘Tamara Kolpakova, she/her.’”   
“‘Eira Meliamne, she/her.’”   
“‘Lysorill Beren, she/her!’”   
“‘Should I let you know if I have more work for you then?’”   
“‘Of course.’”   
“Shanelle nods her adorable feline head. ‘You’re free to do as you wish. Room’s down the hall, key’s got a number on it so it’s easy to find.’”   
“‘Thank you again. We’ll take our leave now then.’”   
“‘Goodbye, and good job.’”   
  
_ Maki reaches for more popcorn, only to find the bowl empty. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Well, looks like we’re out of snacks.” _ _  
_ _ “Not while the cutie Nico-chan is here~!” _ _  
_ _ “And not while I’m here, either~!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Eli stifles a laugh. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “We’ll be done soon, no need to break anything else out.” _ _  
_ _ “Alright.  _ We head to our room. Is there anything waiting to ambush us?”   
“Not that you can see, no.”   
“I check for traps.”   
_ “Roll for it, Lysorill! Investigation, if ya please.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico rolls a 5, which plus 5 is 10. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I got a 10. What do I find?” _ _  
_ “Lysorill puts her eyes on damn near every surface in the room and finds nothing out of the ordinary! Perfectly normal place, this.”   
_ “You say that, but she only got a 10.” _ _  
_ _ “That’s all she knows!” _ _  
_ _ “If you want to roll better, roll yourself.” _ _  
_ _ “Is Eira willing to go over what Lysorill just did more thoroughly?” _ _  
_ _ “... No.” _ _  
_ _ “Maki, we could be missing something!” _ _  
_ _ “I don’t think it makes sense for her to follow what Lysorill just did, it looks unnecessary!” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Nico acquiesces. _ _  
_ _  
_ “Finding nothing of note, you all seem satisfied. Even such a harmless fight can take it out of you, and eventually you fall asleep. The next day, you awaken to the hustle and bustle of the city just outside the window.”   
“‘So what do we want to do now? Should we see if Shanelle has another job for us?’” asks Eira.   
“Tamara speaks up. ‘Actually, I think I have a lead on where the large creatures are coming from…’”   
_ “And that’s where we’ll end tonight’s session!” _ _  
_ _ “On a cliffhanger?” _ _  
_ _ “Yup! We’re out of snacks, it can’t be helped.” Nozomi replies with a shrug. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ BiBi and Nozomi start packing their books, sheets, pencils, and dice away. _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “How was it? Did you guys enjoy what I set out for you?” _ _  
_ _ “I will admit, getting to kill something like that was pretty awesome! Not very ladylike, but sometimes it’s cooler to be unladylike! Adds to the appeal.” _ _  
_ _ “I enjoyed it too, and I’m excited to see what happens next.” _ _  
_ _ “And Maki-chan? What did you think? Did you enjoy yourself?” _ _  
_ _ “I-it was fine! I wouldn’t mind doing it again, I guess.” _ _  
_ _ “Awww, Maki-chan had fun~! I’m glad.” _ _  
_ _ “Sh-shut up! I said it was fine.” _ _  
_ _ “Sure, sure! I’ll see you ladies later then, okay?” _ _  
_ _ “Cya!” _ _  
_ _ “Goodnight!” _ _  
_ _ “Goodnight.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a lot of fun to write!


End file.
